Amazing I-can’t-believe-it’s Gluten-Free and Vegan Banana Bread! Studded with chocolate chips and pecans for the tastiest of treats and loaded with cinnamon banana goodness, this fluffy quick bread is just what we need to feed the soul 😉
Banana bread is a major to do on this site, with countless recipes serving various dietary restrictions and all the flavors of the rainbow.
Everything from The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread to Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread, and Paleo Cranberry Orange Banana Bread.
And of course Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread Muffins for good measure.
And so, so much more!
But here we are making a classic banana bread, just egg-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free.
Whether you follow a vegan diet or can’t do eggs due to an allergy, I trust you’ll love this bread.
It’s fluffy, it’s moist, it’s loaded with banana flavor, it involves chocolate, and a little nutty crunch to keep you on your toes.
So what do we use to replace the eggs? Nothing, actually.
We don’t need egg replacers, something fancy, or anything you’ve never heard of.
It’s basically a regular banana bread recipe without the eggs and subbing in some additional liquid to compensate for the loss of liquid from the eggs.
Before I get ahead of myself, if you follow a grain-free diet, check out my Chocolate Chip Paleo Vegan Banana Bread for an almond flour version.
But real quick, how do we feel about nuts with our banana?
We have a friend who swears nuts ruin banana bread (in fact, she’d shame me if she knew I put them in this bread) but I happen to think they’re amazing.
Thoughts? Feelings? Bueller?
The ingredients in this recipe are super simple. Let’s chat about them.
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread:
Ripe Bananas: The reason we’re all here! We use several overly ripe bananas for this bread, which serve a number of purposes. They add sweetness, volume, moisture and flavor!
For best results, be sure to mash and measure the banana first to ensure you’re getting the same measurement. Bananas vary greatly in size and moisture content, so to keep it apples-to-apples (or bananas-to-bananas), be sure to measure!
Avocado Oil: The fat content that produces flavor, moisture and overall enjoyment in the bread! I use avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor but olive oil or coconut oil will work too.
I’ve seen some recipes for vegan banana bread on the internet that calls for non-dairy milk as part of the liquid content. While this is a great concept for keeping a bread dairy-free, it doesn’t help with the moisture, which is crucial since we’re losing fat from the eggs.
This to say, it’s possible to replace some of the oil with non-dairy milk to reduce the fat content, but I don’t recommend it.
Vanilla Extract: That ingredient that warms up any baked good and makes it feel like a big homey hug 😉 Skip it if you don’t keep it on hand.
Cider Vinegar: Cider vinegar works in tandem with the leavening agent (baking soda) to help the bread rise and stay fluffy. You can also use lemon juice or really anything acidic.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: The flour portion of this gluten-free treat. I use Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for all of my treats calling for GF AP flour, but you can use your favorite blend.
Just note that not all brands are identical in the way they absorb liquid so you may need to adjust the flour content or liquid content accordingly.
Brown Sugar, Maple Sugar, or Coconut Sugar: The sweetener portion of the recipe. You can choose your favorite granulated sweetener here. I like using brown sugar, but coconut sugar and maple sugar are great refined sugar-free options. If you try to keep it sugar-free, use your favorite sugar-free sweetener.
Baking Soda & Sea Salt: The leavening agent and the flavor enhancer! Don’t skip either one! Sea salt is crucial in making a sweet treat taste rich and flavorful. I always get bummed out when I eat a treat that would benefit from salt!
Ground Cinnamon: The ingredient that makes us believe miracles do exist. Ground cinnamon brings so much flavor to any baked good and in my opinion, the more the merrier in banana bread!
If you’re an all-star, feel free to swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice for a little something extra.
Optional Adds:
Chocolate Chips and raw pecans or walnuts. While these are totally optional, I highly recommend them. They just make a banana bread that much more interesting!
Let’s bake this epic loaf!
How to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mash the bananas then whisk together the mashed banana, avocado oil, vanilla extract and cider vinegar until well-combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon and sea salt until well-combined.
If adding chocolate chips and/or nuts, add them to the flour mixture and stir until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dry mixture.
Pour the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and stir until well-combined.
Transfer the banana bread batter to the parchment-lined pan and smooth it into an even layer. If you’d like, you can sprinkle more nuts and/or chocolate chips on top.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.
Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
This bread disappeared in less than 24 hours in my house…mostly on account of the fact that my sweet partner has an incredible sweet tooth.
But also great taste in food! So this to say, I’m willing to bet this loaf won’t last long 🙂
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
Enjoy!
Vegan Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana 3 to 4 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil*
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 2/3 cups gluten-free baking flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar**
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Optional Add Ins:
- ⅔ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped raw walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Mash the bananas then whisk together the mashed banana, avocado oil, vanilla extract and cider vinegar until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon and sea salt until well-combined.
- If adding chocolate chips and/or nuts, add them to the flour mixture and stir until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dry mixture.
- Pour the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Transfer the banana bread batter to the parchment-lined pan and smooth it into an even layer. If you’d like, you can sprinkle more nuts and/or chocolate chips on top.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Love this recipe! I substituted Paleo flour for the gluten free flour. It worked perfectly! The banana bread comes out delicious every time.
That’s so great to know! I hadn’t tested the recipe using paleo flour before so I’m psyched to hear it works just as well! Thanks for sharing! xo
I’ve made this bread twice and the taste is absolutely amazing. I’m not a banana bread lover but I had some to use up and needed something gluten and dairy free so I gave it a go! Question though- any idea why the center can come out so undone? Mine will not test clean after 80 minutes of baking. I used coconut sugar and followed everything to the letter. I don’t want it to burn but the middle absolutely has not been done both times I’ve made it. I’m a pretty experienced baker and can’t figure it out! I use a metal loaf pan, not glass.
Hi Andrea! What brand of gluten-free flour did you use? Varying brands have different absorbencies, so some flours are less absorbent than others. It sounds like you would need to add a little more flour to get the center to cook through. I would start with 1/4 cup of additional flour and add up to 1/2 cup more until the batter looks nice and thick. Hope that helps! Another question – are you lining the loaf pan with parchment paper? For some reason, I’ve noticed not lining the pan can make a difference too, which seems odd but surely enough the bread bakes differently in an unlined pan.
would swerve brown sugar work with this?
Hi Leslie! Yes, absolutely! The bread will turn out great with Swerve’s brown sugar. I hope you love it! xoxo